Remembering War (VI): A patrol shows how we fought ourselves, not the enemy

Heartbreaking example from 2007 of how complex our COIN operations are on the ground, in the dirt, with Afghan Villagers. Who is the villain in this story? Is there any? Is the infantry Lieutenant an example of bad leadership or just bad COIN training or both? The killing of a small child, even if it happened in self-defense in a chaotic run and gun battle, has got to be one of the most morale busting types of things that can happen to your Marines or soldiers. If you were the Platoon Leader or platoon staff sergeant, what could you do or say to help the platoon through their grief and the complexities of their emotions to minimize the moral anguish that some members of the platoon are going to feel (maybe even yourself as a small unit leader), so that your platoon can complete its deployment and mission.

How much of this disastrous mission was caused because of the lack of trust (or simply not wanting to work together) between the National Guard Unit and the AD Army Infantry QRF Force and their Platoon Leader?

I read just about everything I can that is published on Thomas Rick's Blogspot on foreign policy.com. His blog also pulls in some of the best and most relevant guest writers on active duty or former military on every relevant topic related to the US Military.